Chino Moreno, vocalist and frontman of alternative metal band Deftones, has shared a cold rendition of The Cure’s hit track ‘Warsong’. The remix gives a synth-y experimentalism that is classic of Deftones’ sound.
The Cure formed in Crawley in 1976 and produced a unique gothic weirdness that quickly amassed a large fanbase from their debut album ‘Grinding Halt’ in 1985. Since then the British rock band has released fourteen studio albums. Their latest release ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ in 2024 topped five US album charts following its release. The album features eight dynamic tracks including ‘Warsong’, a classically moody song– lyrically macabre from the first line ‘Oh, it’s misery the way we fight’.
Moreno, vocalist of nu-metal band Deftones released his cover of ‘Warsong’ as part of The Cure’s remix album ‘Mixes Of A Lost World’, out on 13 June. The album has also had covers released by Paul Oakenfield and Four Tet.
Vocalist of The Cure, Robert Smith, shared his thoughts on the ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ album in a rare video interview in 2024. He reveals that this album felt “more natural” since their last release was a celebration of their 40th anniversary, which Smith felt had the wrong tone and gave a sense of, “Here’s The Cure after 40 years, be amazed”. Here, he also shares his thoughts on the album’s creation, revealing that he came across a book about Slovenian sculpture and saw a picture of a head “emerging from rock”. He then had a reflective moment where he knew that this would be the album cover.
In an interview with Rolling Stones, Moreno shared his inspiration for the direction he took with the remix. Moreno’s respect for the track comes through in the cover as he upholds the integrity of the song. He shares that he aimed to “strip it back slightly of its organic instrumentation and bring in ridged, mechanical percussion and some down-pitched vocals aimed to bring forth the cold/dystopic feel of the song while maintaining the core beauty of what existed.”. The remixed song shares this blend of The Cure’s melodic intention with Moreno’s smooth shoegaze vibe.
Deftones share a large fanbase with The Cure, releasing nine studio albums since 1988. Their early albums showcased a quintessential nu-metal sound, though their latest music has evolved to alt-rock with albums like ‘White Pony’. The two bands have an ongoing musical relationship with Smith covering Deftones’ ‘Teenagers’ from the ‘White Pony’ album for the band’s 20th anniversary remix album ‘Black Stallion’.
‘Mixes Of A Lost World’ is available to pre-order now, which Smith has revealed he will give all recording royalties of to War Child UK.
